Tropical Storm Olaf, far away in the eastern Pacific, strengthened Saturday and was expected to become a hurricane by today.

The National Hurricane Center said Olaf was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph at 5 p.m. Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending 60 miles from its center.

The center was 1,764 miles east-southeast of Hilo, and the cyclone was traveling west at 9 mph, the center said. The storm is expected to turn toward the west-northwest today, but at that speed it is more than a week away from Hawaii, should it continue to head this way. An eventual northerly course is forecast.

Meanwhile, most of Molokai was under a flood advisory Saturday, with rain falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour at Hoolehua. Also getting drenched were Kaunakakai, Maunaloa, Kualapuu and Kawela, the National Weather Service said.

A high-surf advisory was in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday for the south shores of all islands, with waves at 6 to 9 feet.

A high-pressure area north of the islands will keep tradewinds moderate into the week, NWS said.

Today is likely to be wet, due to unstable atmospheric conditions and a lot of moisture in the air spreading west across the chain.

The high temperature of 89 in Hilo on Saturday set a record for the date, breaking the old record of 88 set in 1962.

Rising seas put Big Isle at risk, study warns

HILO >> Low-lying areas on Hawaii island are at risk of becoming engulfed by rising sea levels in the next century, according to a new study.

The study, released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that areas such as Keaukaha, Banyan Drive, Kamehameha Avenue and Waiopae on the east side of the island along with Alii Drive in Kona will largely be submerged sometime after 2100, reports the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Steven Colbert, assistant professor of marine science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, said only a small portion of the state will be affected. But he notes that many of Hawaii’s treasured landmarks will be threatened, as they mainly reside in low-lying areas.

“We have so many cultural resources that are tied in with our shoreline, like Coconut Island in Hilo, to Honaunau over in Kona. These places are right at sea level, and they’re the first places being lost with sea-level rise,” he said.

The study, “Carbon Choices Determine US Cities Committed to Futures Below Sea Level,” was written by researchers at Princeton University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

According to the report, the long-term impacts of rising sea levels will vary depending on how carbon emissions are regulated. But it says low-lying cities such as Miami and New Orleans will be hit much harder than Hawaii, no matter what is done to address climate change.

The study found that more than 20 million people in up to 1,825 U.S. municipalities are endangered by sea encroachment over the long term.